Discourse Analysis of Media Warfare and the Hegemony of Signifiers in the 2022 Iran Protests: Investigating Opposition Media Techniques Through the Lens of Laclau and Mouffe

Abstract

This study applies Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory to examine media warfare and the hegemony of signifiers during the 2022 protests in Iran. The primary objective is to clarify how opposition media constructed and stabilized subversive discourse by organizing social and political elements around central signifiers such as “regime change,” “victim/oppressor,” “inefficiency/corruption,” and “legitimate violence.” The dataset consisted of 100 influential opposition media programs and social network channels produced throughout the protests. Using a qualitative methodology, the study systematically identified nodal (central) and floating signifiers and analyzed how chains of equivalence were formed across disparate grievances and identity markers. The findings indicate that opposition media, through narrative strategies, emotional polarization, and crisis framing, effectively forged new protest identities and facilitated collective mobilization. The consolidation of discursive hegemony was reinforced by the performative use of symbols and affect, intensifying both the scale and persistence of the unrest and contributing to broader social instability. By comparing these results with prior research and contemporary theoretical frameworks, the paper concludes that effective responses to media warfare require a reassessment of state communication strategies and the enhancement of media literacy across all sectors of society.